Anglican Bishop Masala called for a more "generous pastoral response" to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons than the recent response offered by the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC) to support the government's criminalisation of sex between women.

Masala's recommended pastoral response, while more generous, boils down to "love the sinner, hate the sin." Certainly better than being sentenced to 14 years of hard labour.

Homosexuals and prostitutes have welcomed the call by the Anglican Bishop for Upper Shire Diocese of Malawi that people including faith leaders should not judge others without examining their own lives first.

Bishop Brightson Malasa said at a two-day religious leaders meeting for risk groups in Malawi held in Mangochi that “finger-pointing, condemnation and discrimination” that the church allow to groups such as prostitutes and homosexuals, encourages the spread of HIV and Aids.

Bishop Malasa: Those who have not sinned should cast first stone to gays, prostitutes

He told the “Generous Pastoral Response” meeting under the Malawi Network of Religious Leaders Living or Personally Affected by HIV and Aids (Manerela+) that: “Just like Jesus Christ himself, you [the Church] are there for sinners.

“We are there for the condemned, sinners, marginalised groups and those that have no voice. This is living the gospel; we should embrace God’s flock without discrimination.”...

The bishops said churches, mosques and all centres of prayer, should embrace, love and work with them “to impart the right values.”...HERE

How many amongst the ¨exalted¨ African/other Anglican/other Bishops who met in Entebbe, Uganda are ¨true servants¨ who offer ¨generous pastoral responses without discrimination ¨ to LGBTI Anglicans/others?

﻿ Matthew 23:11 -- The greatest among you will be your servant.

Matthew 23:12 -- For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Sunday, 20th March, 2011 OFFICIALS and workers of the Ministry of Ethics and Integrity were on Monday morning stunned when they were bl...

REAL HERO/REAL LIFE: Bishop John Shelby Spong

“I was simply interpreting a rising consciousness,” he said. “Whether it was race or women or homosexual people, the issue was always the same: fighting against anything that dehumanizes a child of God on the basis of an external characteristic.” Bishop John Shelby Spong (click on his photo)

¨Churches say that the expression of love in a heterosexual monogamous relationship includes the physical, the touching, embracing, kissing, the genital act - the totality of our love makes each of us grow to become increasingly godlike and compassionate. If this is so for the heterosexual, what earthly reason have we to say that it is not the case with the homosexual?¨ Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu